To Have & To Hold
by seeyouontheice
Summary: janny fluff
1. Chapter 1

Elliot shut the door to his and Jac's office, determined to keep the conversation private. "All you ever did was hurt her, Joseph. Can't you see how much better off she is with Jonathon?"

"But he's a nurse." Joseph complained.

"He loves her."

"_I_ love her."

Elliot sank into the chair behind his desk and sighed. "You have to let her go. It took her months to find the courage to let you go, but she did it … somehow. It destroyed her when you left; and I – along with everyone else – refused to see it and made the mistake of letting her cope alone. Let her go, Joseph."

"I can't."

"Don't make her choose, please." Elliot begged. "She's happy. She's happier than I've ever seen her; please don't take that away from her. Not now … she nearly ruined everything when you sent her that invite; went out and made mistakes I thought she'd already learnt not to make. But he forgave her … I know she didn't expect him to but perhaps that goes to show just how much she means to him. Joseph, please don't destroy what she has. You of all people should know just how much she needs the normality and stability his love will provide for her."

Joseph was pacing up and down in front of Elliot's desk. "I can give her that!" Why couldn't Elliot see?

"Then why didn't you marry her when you had the chance!" It brought him to a halt.

"I – I … because … I … that's not the point!" He spluttered.

"Isn't it? Isn't giving Jac everything she never had the point? Because I know Jac wants to give him all the normal and boring stuff that he wants – a wife, a family, even a dog! – and I know that she wants it because he can give her what you promised but never delivered."

"She ruined it, not me." Joseph said stubbornly.

Elliot looked at him, seemingly looking _through_ him. "You didn't exactly fight for her though, did you?" The old heart surgeon sighed and ran a hand over his face. "No, Joseph … I … I just want the best for her."

"And that's not me, I take it." Joseph muttered.

For some reason, Elliot wasn't giving in. It was almost as if he really did care about Jac. "No; you brought out the worst in each other; always drove each other to the extreme. Determined, you were, to get one over her. Whereas she just wanted what was best for you."

"It never seemed that way to me. But then you always did have a soft spot for her." Joseph wondered if guilt tricking him would get him back on his side again.

"Jac loved you Joseph, even if she doesn't now she did then," Elliot said quietly. Joseph sighed and slumped into the chair opposite the two desks. Elliot was watching Joseph intently, waiting for him to say something.

"She really loves him?" Joseph finally whispered after about a minute silence.

Elliot paused and then spoke truthfully. "Yes, I honestly believe she does."

"More than she loved me?"

Elliot replied carefully, choosing his words so that it came out in the right way. "I don't think it's a case of who she loves more, but rather a case of loving Jonathon in a better way."

Joseph paused again as he let the words sink in "… She really is happy with him?"

"Happier than I've seen her in a long time."

"Happier than when she was with me?"

Joseph needed his friend to tell him the truth; that Jac didn't need him anymore. Elliot seemed to understand. "Yes … happier than she was with you," he bit his lip, then braved on, "… he's going to propose to her you know."

Joseph looked up and blinked. "How do you know that?"

Elliot smiled. "He's been asking advice from various people throughout the hospital, and then swearing us all to secrecy."

"Why?"

Somewhat amused and slightly smug, Elliot explained. "Well I imagine he wants to make sure he's not asking too soon, and that the ring he got her is right, after all, this is Jac we're talking about. At least that's what he asked me. That and did I think she'd say yes of course."

"What did you say?"

Elliot smiled to himself again, probably remembering the moment. "I told him that I knew she would."

"When's he doing it?" Joseph asked curiously.

"Judging by the time, I'd say he's in the middle of it right now."

"… Well I'm glad." And he was. Glad that someone was willing to spend the rest of their life with her.

"Glad? A few moments ago you were adamant that you were better for her than he is." Elliot reached for a pile of patient notes and thumbed through them, watching the younger man.

"Glad that she's finally found someone who understands just how special she is; that she found someone she can be herself with for once." He explained, and it wasn't as hard as he thought.

"You're a good man, Joseph; a good father." Jac had said the same thing to him once.

"It's alright though, for me to still love her?"

"Of course it is; Jac loved you right up until she met Jonathon … just promise not to ruin this for her." Elliot added, getting to his feet with the notes under his arm.

"I won't." Joseph promised, also getting to his feet. The door opposite Jac's desk opened and Jonny stuck his head into the room, looking for Elliot.

"Jonathon, I thought you'd be with Jac." Elliot said. As usual his top button was undone and his tie was slightly crooked as if he hadn't straightened it again after loosening it. At least his shirt was tucked in and his suit was tailored properly meaning he had made an effort Elliot summarised.

"She's stuck in theatre … major complications and it's going to take a while," he explained, coming into the room properly and shutting the door behind him.

"Ah." Elliot sighed. "So much for your romantic dinner plans," Jonny rolled his eyes and nodded. Then he noticed Joseph was in the room. The two stared at each other and a silence that could only be described as awkward filled the room and Elliot decided to break it. "Er … yes sorry, have you two been introduced?"

"Not properly, no." Jonny replied. He turned to Joseph. "Jonathon Maconie."

"Joseph Byrne." Jonny inclined his head and turned to Elliot with a look that said 'this is Jac's ex?' before shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Right, yes. Did you want something in particular Jonathon?"

Jonny opened his mouth as he searched for what it was he wanted to ask. "Erm … yeah, I just wondered if you knew what it was she's hiding from me … I thought, you know, that it might be something to do with her, um … with the … um, the endometriosis. Something bothering her … she's not telling me and neither is Mo …" His concern touched Elliot and the surgeon wanted to tell him, but he'd promised Jac he wouldn't say anything.

"Endometriosis – Jac has endometriosis?" Joseph blurted out, shocked.

Elliot ignored Joseph for the moment, motioning him to be quiet, and smiled at Jonny. "No, no, it's nothing sinister, well not in that sense. She'll tell you later I expect; I only know because Ms Effanga was discussing it with Jac when I walked in the office earlier. I say discussing; it was more of a case of Mo dragging it forcefully out of her with the threat of going to Hanssen."

"And if she doesn't tell me later?" Jonny asked.

Elliot put his notes down and placed his hands on the Scottish man's shoulders. "Jonny; it's nothing to be worried about. Mo and I have her promise that she'll tell you over dinner. If she doesn't we have her permission to tell you tomorrow."

Jonny nodded, and smiled gratefully at him. "Right … well then, I'd better phone the restaurant and rebook our table." Jonny shut the door to the office firmly on his way out before digging his phone out and dialling the number for the fancy and probably overpriced restaurant he'd booked.

"Why didn't you tell me Jac's ill!" Joseph demanded as soon as the nurse had gone.

"Because it is none of your business; her problems don't concern you anymore, just as yours don't concern her." Elliot said bluntly, picking up his notes again and placing a hand on the door handle.

"Is she alright, I mean, is she coping? Because he said there's something bothering her." On second thoughts, his concern was perhaps not really needed after seeing that Jonny was more than capable.

Elliot sighed and decided the truth couldn't hurt. "Much better now she's finally told Jonathon and the rest of us what's been causing her so much pain …" he paused again and then continued, "no, she's going to have a baby."

"What?" Joseph blinked, "but she's … endometriosis …?"

Elliot smiled, _again_. "Despite the odds, Jac's pregnant."

"And he – that nurse – doesn't know?"

"Mo and I convinced her the best time to tell him would be tonight. Of course we didn't tell her Jonathon's plans and spoil that surprise for her." He opened the door and stepped out into the corridor. Jonny was sitting at the nurses' station with his feet up and a look of sheer boredom on his face. "I see Mo and Jac are finished." Elliot commented as a couple of nurses wheeled a heavily sedated Mr Banner back into his bay. Jonny had his back to them so he didn't see Jac and Mo approaching from behind him, deep in conversation. They joined Joseph and Elliot outside the office and both women seemed to be in relatively high spirits.

"How did the op go?" Joseph asked, "That nurse – Jonny? – said there were complications." The fact he'd referred to Jonny as 'that nurse' earnt him a glare and a raised eyebrow from Jac. He couldn't help the smile flicker across his face and Jac just rolled her eyes.

"Not quite as complicated as we thought." Mo answered, "Although we did have to put up with three F1s all trying to prove they're the best in the background."

"Next time Hanssen asks if it's alright for them all to observe, remind me to tell him no." Jac said, but her attention had already switched to Jonny, who'd probably heard them talking and swung round on his chair and crossed his arms, staring at Jac as if to say 'finally'.

The way she couldn't hide how much she loved him made Joseph realise that she had never been like that with him. She had always been able to hide how she felt. The three of them watched Jac as she walked over to where Jonny sat with his arms folded over his chest; even in scrubs she looked amazing, with her long fiery hair in its hastily done knot at the back of her head and her stethoscope around her neck … Jonny really was lucky to wake up to her every morning.

She said something that made him smirk before he took her hands and replied with something equally as witty and outrageous. Jac shook her head and then leant down and kissed him soundly on the lips; apparently her open displays of affection didn't seem to faze him. Or maybe he'd got use to them. Jonny pulled away and said something, to which Jac replied with a further roll of her eyes before reluctantly standing upright again and walking round him so she could head for the locker room. Jonny swivelled his chair round with one foot and followed her progress, causing Jac to smile and roll her eyes when she looked back at him from the locker room doorway.

Sighing, Joseph accepted she was gone. "I really have lost her, haven't I?"

"I think you already knew that." Elliot replied quietly as Mo joined her friend and made some comment about his lack of doing anything for the past hour or so.

"Tell her … tell her I'm please for her … and congratulations."

Elliot looked startled, "You're going to leave without saying goodbye to her?"

"You and I both know Jac doesn't do goodbyes all that well. Besides I don't want to say goodbye to her again; I think we've had enough of those to last us." Joseph said, not wanting to cause her any discomfort on a day that was going to be one of the happiest in her life.

"At least tell Jonathon there is no hard feelings; you owe Jac that much." Joseph relented and agreed. He walked over to the nurses' station with Elliot trailing behind him, fumbling through his notes, despite Darwin being the 'paperless ward'.

Mo nudged Jonny's foot as he approached and Jonny glanced over his shoulder before getting to his feet and leaning against the counter. "I just came to say …" the man before him was everything Jac needed, "no hard feelings." He held out his hand and Jonny took it in his own.

"Fair enough; I take it you're leaving now?" Joseph nodded, "well I would say if you wait you could say bye to Jac, but she's probably going to be a while."

"Says the man who takes an hour in the bathroom every morning," Joseph looked over Jonny's shoulder to find Jac sorting through another pile of notes and wearing the most beautiful dress he'd ever seen. Jonny turned and grinned; it was a strapless navy blue summer gown the fell to just below her knees and hugged her torso before falling into a fairly free skirt that swayed as she moved. Her shoes were of a golden hue as was the small bag she held and the few pieces of jewellery she wore were also gold, namely a chain necklace and a pair of small studs in her ears. Her long hair flowed freely around her face, neck and shoulders. "What?" She asked when no one spoke.

"Nothing," Jonny replied. "You're perfect." He added as he slipped out of the nurses' station to join her.

"Well, have a nice evening," Elliot said, smiling knowingly at them and causing Jac to give him her 'I am curious but not really bothered to find out what you mean' look. "And you look lovely Jac, as always."

"Thank you." She replied simply.

Suddenly, it was easy; simple. Joseph followed Jonny out from the station and pulled Jac to one side; she looked at him as if to say 'what are you doing?' but didn't speak. "I'm pleased you're happy. And I wish it was me who made you so … but I'm not. I still love you, Jac." She made to speak but he didn't let her; he just wanted her to listen. "And I'm not going to spoil this for you. We had our chance and we both chose separate things; but I'm glad I got the chance to see you so happy for once in your life. After everything you've been through, you deserve this."

She was aware that he knew something, but she chose not to ask him; she smiled and kissed his cheek in farewell before stepping back and turning to Jonny. Joseph watched as she did his top button and straightened his tie before slipping her fingers through his and murmuring goodnight to her colleagues.

Joseph watched as she and Jonny headed for the lift and watched as they waited for it to arrive and the doors to open. He watched as Jac stepped into the lift, arm in arm with the man who, in a few short hours, would ask her to marry him and Joseph watched the doors slide shut.

Jac hadn't looked back once.

It was the sound of one of the patients crashing that brought Joseph back into the present. He waved farewell to Elliot as the old man dashed to the bedside and he called out over the commotion; "Very well, goodbye then Joseph."

"Goodbye, Elliot."

Joseph pushed open the doors to the stairs and slowly made his way out of the hospital, detouring to the cresh to pick up Harry and then heading out the main entrance just as an ambulance pulled up. Joseph stood to once side as staff he had once worked with and staff members that were new to him all hurriedly took the patient into their care. He felt strangely detached, like he was floating through the place he had once worked unseen and forgotten; as if it were all a dream and they had all ceased to remember him.

But he didn't mind.

He'd moved on.


	2. Chapter 2

"I _told_ you Sniffles."

"Oh shut up!"

"Sniffles?"

"He was always snivelling during med school because I was better than him."

"Aha, right!"

"May I ask you two ladies who won the F1 Prize?"

"Only because Tara was too busy smashing the crap out of her car!"

"I've been meaning to ask … what made you do that?"

"Yeah well … I had a … well it wasn't the best of days."

"Hate to see you on a bad day!"

Jac stopped what she was doing and glared over at the three junior doctors. Across the operating table, Mo had turned scalpel in hand, to glare at them too, waiting for them to stop bickering.

_"_If you_ don't_ mind," Jac said in a dangerous voice.

"Look, if you three don't shut up, Ms Naylor and I won't have any problems in throwing you out and failing you on your next assements." Mo told them with a bluntness she'd probably discovered worked quite well from Jac.

The three F1s all shut up and Mo turned back to Jac. "Hanssen said they _have_ to stay." Jac hissed to her colleague.

"Yeah, but they don't know that." Jac inclined her head, "shall we get back to Mr Banner's aortic value replacement?" Mo asked brightly.

"So long as our three trainees remember that they are to be seen and not heard."

The three juniors all nodded their heads and allowed Jac and Mo to continue with the op with only one other interruption which was when Mo asked Tara to close the heart. Both Arthur and Gemma had let out noises of indignation which were silenced when Jac pointed out Tara was the one with the CT experience out of the three. Jac then allowed Arthur to close up the chest since Gemma had done the most whining throughout the procedure.

The three F1s exited the theatre in mixed spirits allowing Jac and Mo to wash up without their constant bickering echoing in the background. "Well that went well." Mo said pushing open the door as Jac pulled off the navy cap she wore in theatre and threw the paper towel in the bin.

"Aside from all that bickering," Jac agreed holding open the other door as three nurses steered their patient out of the room and down the corridor.

"Yeah, that aside." She paused, letting the nurses and the bed pass through the doors before continuing. "So, can I have a look now?" Jac rolled her eyes and checked that no one was around to overhear, before pulling the ultrasound out of her pocket and showing Mo the blob that was going to grow into her baby. She couldn't help the smile flicker across her face as her friend – Mo was her friend now, right? – took the scan and inspected Jonny's handiwork.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"You're the first person I've shown that to – Thompson doesn't count since he _did_ the scan."

"Well I am honoured and hope to God that your kid doesn't have the misfortune to end up with your red hair and Jonny's curls." Jac laughed as they rounded the corner to re-join Darwin Ward. "Because I think that could count as child abuse … I see your charming ex is still here." Mo added and Jac turned to see Joseph standing outside the office with Elliot.

"So he is," Jac took the scan off Mo and placed it discreetly back into her pocket before Elliot and Joseph turned to spot them. Beside her Mo stifled a yawn. "Tired?"

"Yeah; I've been stuck in theatre with you and three F1s for the past hour and a half."

"Funny."

"I thought so."

"Tell me, have you heard of this amazing thing called sarcasm?"

"Hilarious Jac," Mo told her, "really witty. You do realise your kid's gonna have a tongue sharper than steel?"

"Jonny will blunt the edges out, don't worry."

They stopped when they reached Joseph and Elliot and watched as Mr Banner was steered into his bay and Mo grinned at Jac's comment.

"How did the op go?" Jac blinked and turned to Joseph. "That nurse – Jonny? – said there were complications." Jac glared at him for referring to Jonny as 'that nurse' but Joseph's only reaction was to smirk as if he'd expected her to respond as she had and Jac just rolled her eyes.

"Not quite as complicated as we thought." Mo answered for her. "Although we did have to put up with three F1s all trying to prove they're the best in the background."

Jac groaned at the memory and turned to Mo. "Next time Hanssen asks if it's alright for them all to observe, remind me to tell him no." But her attention was caught by Jonny. He'd been sitting with his feet up on the nurses' station trying to pass the time. At the sound of her voice he swung round on his chair and folded his arm across his chest with the smirk she both hated and loved plastered over his face along with an expression that said 'well, at last'.

Jac ignored her colleagues and she walked over to where he sat. "Still trying to get paid as much as you can for doing as little as possible Maconie?"

He smirked and took her hands in his. He'd already got changed for dinner and Jac wasn't surprised that his top button was undone and his tie slightly crooked from not straightening it after losing it. "Well you wouldn't want me falling asleep over dinner now would ya? I'd be in a wee bit of trouble if I did and left you to pay the bill."

Jac shook her head in amusement and then gave up and kissed him sweetly. He responded for a second, no longer fazed by her open displays of affection, before pulling back, "Now then, unless you're planning on going to dinner in your scrubs, I'd suggest you go get changed otherwise we'll miss the reservation."

Jac rolled her eyes and gave in. He'd been making such a fuss about tonight that she decided to grant him all his whims, trusting him to have planned a great evening out together. She stood up and made her way to the locker room, pausing at the door to find that he'd watched her progress and she smiled before slipping into the room and shutting the door behind her. She dug her locker keys out of her pocket, opened her locker and pulled out the shoes and bag she'd chosen for the occasion and placed them on the bench before taking out the carefully folded blue dress she'd picked. Unfolding it, Jac held it out and was glad to find it hadn't wrinkled from its day in her locker.

Stripping out of her scrubs and kicking off her trainers, Jac quickly pulled on her dress. She shoved her scrubs into her locker for tomorrow and pulled out her handbag. She transferred her phone, keys, purse and ID to the smaller one she'd picked for the evening and then dug the ultrasound out of her scrub top, cursing at the creases that now ran through it, and placed it carefully inside the single hidden pocket in her dress. Straightening up, Jac pulled her hair out of the knot on the back of her head and combed it through with her fingers. She then shoved a pair of ear rings through her ears, wincing slightly because she hadn't worn any in months, and fastened a gold chain round her neck before locking her locker and slipping on her heels and leaving her new medication behind. Picking up the bag, Jac put her locker keys inside and took a deep breath before exiting the room.

Her friends and colleagues were all centred on the nurses' station and hadn't noticed she'd left the room. "Ms Naylor?" Jac turned to find a nurse standing at her shoulder, "The notes you wanted me to re-do." Taking them with a nod of thanks, Jac headed to the centre of Darwin as Jonny and Joseph shook hands.

"…well I would say if you wait you could say bye to Jac, but she's probably going to be a while." Jonny was saying and Jac couldn't resist.

"Says the man who takes an hour in the bathroom every morning," it wasn't true, but Jac felt like putting him in the spotlight and it was a sure way to grab his attention. She busied herself with sorting out the notes she'd been handed and didn't see the reactions of her friends until she'd looked up to see smiles and odd, contemplating looks upon their faces. "What?" She asked, slightly self-conscience.

"Nothing," Jonny replied simply with his smile. "You're perfect." He added as he joined her on the other side of the nurses' station. Jac bit her lip to try and hide her glee at his complement before shrugging.

"Well," Elliot said smiling knowingly at them, "have a nice evening." Jac wasn't stupid; it was clear that Elliot knew something she didn't, but she wasn't interested. She turned back to Jonny as her superior spoke again, "And you look lovely Jac, as you always do." Jac blinked and this time accepted the compliment.

"Thank you." She replied genuinely pleased.

Suddenly Joseph darted out from behind the nurses' station, seized her by the arm and dragged her out of earshot of the others. Over his shoulder, Jac saw Jonny cross his arms and lean against the counter with his eyes boring into Joseph's back. Jac looked at the man in front of her, wondering what he was doing but waited for him to speak.

"I'm pleased you're happy." He began, "and I wish it was me who made you so … but I'm not. I still love you Jac." Jac opened her mouth to interrupt but Joseph didn't let her. It seemed he just wanted her to listen. "And I'm not going to spoil this for you. We had our chance and we both chose separate things; but I'm glad I got the chance to see you so happy for once in your life. After everything you've been through, you deserve this."

He also knew something, but again Jac chose not to ask him; instead she smiled and kissed his cheek in farewell before re-joining Jonny. She placed her hands on his chest and shrugged off his questions before doing up the top button on his shirt and straightening his tie. Jac couldn't help kiss him before she slipped her fingers through his. "Shall we go then?" She asked and his answering grin told her yes. They murmured goodnight to the rest of Darwin and headed for the lift and dinner and an evening with just the two of them for the first time since Mo had lost her flat and moved into their spare bedroom nearly four months ago.


	3. Chapter 3

The taxi had just pulled up outside the restaurant when Jac's phone began to ring. Jonny heard her curse at the inconvenience as she climbed out of the cab, leaving him to pay. Jonny didn't care; he was aware that he was going to overspend on everything tonight.

"You have got to be joking!" Jonny turned to Jac, who was close to fuming; clearly she wasn't happy about something. "Mr Hanssen, I appreciate it's a major incident but –" She was cut off and not liking whatever the Swede was saying. Jonny, guessing where the conversation was going, cautioned the cab driver to wait a moment, "Fine! We'll be there just as soon as we can." There was a pause and then, much to Jonny's surprise, "Yes _we_ – as in me and Jonny – that kind of we." She pulled a face as she listened to Hanssen's reply before giving a very curt, "Good bye," and hanging up.

She looked over at Jonny, apologies written all over her face. He smiled understandably and opened the taxi door for her. She kissed his cheek as she climbed in and he instructed the taxi driver to take them back to Holby before joining her in the back seat.

"So, what's the situation?"

"I don't know. Hanssen's going to give everyone a briefing in fifteen minutes. But it must be important." She stayed silent for the rest of the journey, and when they pulled up outside the hospital ten minutes later, Jac stepped out of the cab and handed the driver a twenty pound note and told him to keep the change. Jonny watched as Malick and his son, Jake, climbed out of their car and head over to join them.

"I'm sorry," Jonny looked at Jac.

"It's not your fault," he said, smiling and wrapping an arm round her waist.

"I know, but you made such an effort."

"Wasn't anything important," Jonny lied; "just a meal out. Besides; we can do it some other time." Malick and Jake had joined them, and the four of them headed into the hospital.

"Hanssen dragged you in too, did he?" Jac asked.

"Yup, whatever it is it must be important because he asked for Jake's porter talents too …" Malick took Jonny's arm and held him back, allowing Jac and Jake to carry on ahead. "Have you asked her yet?"

"No. She overran in theatre due to complications and we had just arrived when the Death Eater called us back." Jonny couldn't help the bitterness in his voice.

"There'll be another time."

Jonny shrugged and followed Jac into the hospital.

"Where's this briefing?" Jac asked Malick suddenly, "Do you know?"

"Main stair well; same place it was when we had the crisis with the trains two years ago, remember?"

"How could I forget?" Jac murmured, distracted. "That was the day we lost Penny."

Malick simply nodded and led the way to the meeting.

* * *

They were all gathered at the bottom of the stairs like they had two years ago when Hanssen had told them of the incident last time. Michael, Ric, Sacha, Chrissie, Elliot, Malick and Jac all remembered what had happened, and as a result they all promised to keep an eye on Ollie. The rest of them talked agitatedly amongst themselves. Mo and Serena were talking with Chantelle and Marie-Claire while the three F1s tried to make themselves heard and a few of the porters and members of the ED were also waiting for Hanssen's arrival.

It seemed that Jac and Jonny weren't the only ones who'd planned to spend an evening out; Ric, Michael and Serena were also all dressed up, and upon further questioning, it was discovered that they'd been sent to a conference meal with the Board but had been called back due to the major incident, and Sam Nicholls from the ED, who was an old childhood friend of Jac's, had planned a weekend away with partner Tom Kent but both had been called back into work.

"It feels like I haven't seen you in years!" Sam mentioned to Jac in passing and Jac found herself agreeing.

"I know; we'll have to have a catch up sometime soon."

Sam nodded, "Sounds very much like a plan." Jac glanced over her friend's shoulder to see Tom standing awkwardly waiting for Sam to re-join him.

"Yes, and you can tell me all about this new bloke of yours. I heard a rumour saying he swept you off your feet and carried you off into the sunset leaving the rest of the ED to fend for its self."

"Oh very funny Jac; you're one to talk. I hear you hooked up with a guy at some course and subsequently fell in love with him when he turned up to work here."

Jac childishly stuck her tongue out and Sam winked before agreeing upon a date sometime next week for them to catch up properly. Sacha promptly appeared at Jac's shoulder with a reluctant Tom in tow. A hand on her waist told her that Jonny was once again at her side. Once Sacha engaged Jonny, Oliver, Sam and Tom in conversation, Mo seized her chance and grabbed Jac's arm, pulling her out of earshot to where Elliot sat on the bottom step eating a sugar encrusted doughnut. "What?" She hissed.

"Have you told him yet?" Mo asked.

"No! We'd only just reached the restaurant when Hanssen ordered us back here. And I wasn't about to tell him in the cab."

"Yes, but Jonny's noticed that there's something bothering you." Elliot told her kindly.

"There's something bothering him too, but he won't tell me!"

Mo and Elliot exchanged a look that told Jac they knew both her secret and whatever the hell it was that Jonny was hiding from her. Swearing under her breath, she left them be and was about to join Serena in conversation with Tara and Gemma when Hanssen arrived with none other than Joseph in tow. Jac frowned.

"Thank you all for waiting. I have been getting abreast of the situation."

"What exactly _is _the situation?" asked Zoe Hannah from the ED.

"There has been a major pile-up on the motorway just outside the city and Holby has been designated the receiving hospital for all the casualties since we are the nearest. We will cancel all further electives and transfer any other patients to St James. Mr Spence has agreed to lead a response team to the site along with the paramedics and I would like Mr Malick and Doctor Digby to go with him. Mr Griffin and Ms Campbell will be managing Keller and I would like Ms Naylor to be lead consultant on AAU in Mr Spence's absence alongside Mr Levy, leaving Professor Hope, Mr Byrne, who's kindly offered to help us, and Ms Effanga with Darwin."

Jac and the others nodded, although her redistribution to AAU in order to make space for Joseph stung. "Do we know how many are involved?" Jac asked.

Hanssen shook his head. "The incident consists of a pile up along a mile stretch of the motorway between the Holby junction and the services on both sides of the motorway."

"Jesus!"

"Crap."

"But that's -"

"Shit."

"Oh my …"

"Fuck."

"When will they be here?" Jonny asked, possibly the only person not to react by swearing or whatnot at the size of the incident they were dealing with.

"Casualties will begin to arrive within the next ten minutes or so. Sister Williams, would you lead the nurses on Darwin team while Nurse Carter does the same for Keller and Nurse Lane for AAU." The three nurses nodded, "Doctor Valentine I'd like you to join Ms Naylor and Mr Levy on AAU and Doctor Wilde can take Doctor Digby's place on Keller while Doctor Lo remains on Darwin." Turning to Zoe Hannah, Hanssen continued, "Doctor Ashford is capable of running ED while yourself, Doctor Kent and Doctor Nicholls manage the arrivals here and direct them to the appropriate ward." Hanssen turned to face them all. "I urge you all to remain calm and professional while we tackle this crisis and I am sure that as a whole, we will do nothing less than our best. Thank you and I suggest you get on with preparing for the first arrivals."

Everyone made to head off in the directions of the various parts of the hospital when Jonny suddenly spoke; "What about me?" everyone turned to him. "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but I haven't been given any orders, so to speak."

Jac belatedly realised Jonny was right, and opened her mouth to say AAU would be in most need of extra help when Hanssen answered Jonny. "That is because I wish to speak with you privately Mr Maconie; about a certain matter that has come to my attention."

Jonny paused, then nodded and followed the Swede off down the corridor, listening to whatever it was he wished to talk about. Jac watched him disappear round the corner, wondering what was so important that couldn't wait until _after _the crisis had abated, and turned to find Sacha, Ollie and Chantelle waiting for her.

Sighing, Jac led the way to the ward, her shoes echoing down the corridor. "Sacha, how full are you?"

"We're going to have to discharge and transfer a lot of people." He told her seriously.

Jac turned to Chantelle, "Can you run ahead and start to clear the ward? Best to try and get ahead before we start if we can; I'd send Sacha but you can tell by looking at him he won't get there any quicker, and I can't run in these shoes." Chantelle nodded. "Ollie, you might as well go with her."

"I'll go right away." And the nurse ran down the corridors to AAU with Ollie on her heels while Jac and Sacha stocked up on caffeine and sugar in preparation for what was about to hit them.


	4. Chapter 4

Jonny listened as Hanssen explained why and how he'd managed to lift the suspension that prevented Jonny from practising medicine as a doctor. It hadn't happened that long ago, but Jonny had long given up feeling bitter about it and was glad he was still able to help in some way. He'd gotten a place at med school, despite the fact that his family had very little money and having only just scraped the necessary A-Levels; Jonny had gotten through it with good grades and passed the necessary junior doctor exams and assessments with flying colours all for that reputation to be ruined by a colleague who wanted to save his own skin and get one over on Jonny.

After cocking up on a major, and frankly risky and unnecessary operation, the doctor in question had somehow managed to lay all the blame and all the evidence on Jonny. The hospital he'd been working at knew he was innocent and knew that the other doctor had been the one to blame, but the evidence had somehow all pointed at Jonny and to make matters worse, the other doctor had convinced the relatives of the patient that it had been Jonny's mistake that had cause their family member to die on the table. The final straw came when Jonny and his colleague ended up trading blows in the staff room leading to Jonny being suspended from his position as a doctor. Angry, annoyed and feeling bitter, Jonny had signed up for nursing school, feeling that his efforts would have been wasted otherwise and left Scotland and gotten himself a job as a nurse in a hospital in Manchester, ignoring all about his past experiences as doctor.

The only reason Hanssen knew about it was because Hanssen had been the consultant in charge of the ward Jonny had been working on at the time.

Not even Mo knew.

"… You'll be under a period of supervision, and will require several weeks, possibly a few months of getting back into the swing of things, but I am confident that you'll come out of it with the suspension fully lifted."

"And the Board have agreed to this?"

"They have, yes."

Jonny nodded, "why now?"

"Because this hospital needs a surgeon like you; if left to it, you could probably still preform most of the GS procedures without difficulty. You may have been spending the past five years as a nurse, but it's only been technical with you. Surely you must realise you're able to carry out duties and procedures that nurses aren't supposed to do, and that, essentially, you are a doctor in a nurse's uniform?"

Jonny shrugged. "I didn't stop with the doctoring thing, if that's what you meant. I kept up with how to do all the diagnosing and operations and things. I just made sure not to draw attention to that fact."

"Quite so, and an extra pair of experienced hands is just what we need in this situation." At Jonny's look the CEO carried on, "you've only been gone from the world of the surgeons for five years," Hanssen pointed out.

Jonny found he had to agree. "I suppose you're right … where do you want me then?" He asked.

"AAU will most likely be the ward most tested; and there are likely to be less chance of you being whisked off to theatre before you feel you're ready." Jonny nodded. "If you'll accompany me to inform Darwin, Keller and AAU I shall let you get on and help."

"I'm not in a position to say no, am I?"

They reached Keller first, where they found Mr Griffin and Ms Campbell busy clearing beds with Gemma the F1 and Marie-Claire. Jonny busied himself with taking an elderly relative to the bathroom while Hanssen explained about Jonny's situation and by the time he'd returned, Ric and Serena had already pulled him up on the internet and started to read about his previous work as a doctor while Marie-Claire stared at him as if he was betraying the world of the nurses' and Gemma mentioned something about how 'this explains why you knew too much to be just a nurse' before directing the elderly relative Jonny took to the bathroom back to his wife.

"Very well, Mr Maconie and I shall get going seeing as the first wave of casualties has arrived." Hanssen said, leading the way to the stairs. As they climbed, Jonny felt his phone vibrate and he dug a hand in his trouser pocket to locate it and also to check the engagement ring was still there; however as he pulled his phone out, his stomach dropped as he failed to locate the small box with the ring for Jac. Stopping dead and uttering an oath he frantically searched his trouser pockets and the pockets on his jacket for the priceless ring. Noticing Jonny wasn't at his heels; Hanssen stopped and turned on his heel, several steps up from Jonny, and raised a questioning eyebrow when he saw the Scott desperately searching his pockets.

Jonny held his phone in his mouth, unable to answer Hanssen's look and felt a huge wave of relief wash over him as he finally located the small box in the inside pocket of his jacket. "I thought I'd lost it." He said with relief through his mouthful of phone as Hanssen, mildly curious as to what was in the box, stepped down to join him. Opening the box to re-establish the fact that the ring was still there, Jonny showed it to his boss, taking his phone out of his mouth.

"For Ms Naylor, I take it?"

"Who else?" he asked and Hanssen didn't reply; he carried on up the stairs. Jonny replaced the box into his inside pocket and checked his phone. There was just a text from Jac asking where he was and if he had the time could he bring her stethoscope and medication down to AAU for her.

They reached Darwin and this time Jonny occupied his time by getting the things Jac had asked for while Hanssen told Elliot, Mo, Tara, Chrissie and Joseph. Emerging from the locker room just as Hanssen finished speaking with them, a commotion at the lifts caught his attention.

"Can I have some help here please?" Jonny ran, shoving the medication in his pocket and stethoscope round his neck, and slid to a halt by the bed where Sam from the ED was trying to keep the patient from crashing.

"He's going into cardiac arrest! Crash trolley!" he yelled as he began compressions. Tara ran up with the trolley as Jonny lifted up the man's shirt revealing a nasty wound to his chest.

"Charging to two hundred … stand clear." Jonny stepped back as Mo shocked the man.

"No output; try again." Elliot told them. Mo charged again. "He's back with us. For now …"

There was a few moments silence before Elliot spoke. "Right well … we'd best be prepared for this; Chrissie can you find out who he is." He and Joseph wheeled the bed out of the lift and into the actual ward.

"Mr Maconie, if you're ready?" Jonny nodded and joined Hanssen in the lift.

Mo opened her mouth, no doubt to ask why he'd kept his past as a doctor from her, but he simple hissed, "later," and let the doors slide shut.

AAU was, predictably, in chaos. Once again Hanssen pulled the relevant people aside while Jonny occupied his time by hiding in the consultant's office with Jac's stethoscope round his neck. Sighing, he removed his jacket and hung it on the back of the chair before slumping down into it and pulling out the box of medication of Jac's, noticing that it was different to what she had usually been taking. He took the ring from his jacket and placed it in his trouser pocket, not wanting to risk leaving it unattended. The door suddenly swung open and his girlfriend walked. He patiently waited for her to speak first, gloomily realising that had things gone according to plan he would've been calling Jac his fiancée by now.

"I thought we agreed to no more secrets?" she said softly.

For some reason, this annoyed him. "No more secrets? Yeah we did. But you're one to talk."

"What are you on about?"

"What are you hiding from me Jac? You've been distant all day!"

She paused, biting her lip, "We can talk later Jonny; we're going to have to wait. Right now I need you to go out there and treat as many people as you can, as best you can. If you get stuck ask me or Sacha or even Ollie."

Jonny sighed and agreed, "Right." He nodded, "anything else?"

"I trust you." She kissed his cheek, took the medication and then opened the door onto the ward. Taking a deep breath, Jonny followed with her words propelling him forwards and giving him the confidence he needed. He belatedly realised she'd not take her stethoscope from him.


	5. Chapter 5

Jac quite literally threw Jonny in at the deep end when they stepped out of the office; three casualties arrived at once and taking the first one for herself and Ollie; Jac handed Sacha the second and left Jonny the third. Putting a hand in his pocket and feeling the box with the ring, Jonny headed to the side of his patient.

"What do we know?" Jonny asked Jake, who was pushing the trolley.

"She's twenty and has stomach injuries." The lad told him, following Jonny's instructions and manoeuvring the bed into one of the bays. "She doesn't seem too critical."

"Right," Jonny beckoned Chantelle over, "do we have a name?" Jake shook his head as Jonny pulled back the blanket and lifted the girl's shirt to get a look at her stomach.

"Poor thing," Chantelle murmured.

Jonny was about to give instructions to keep her under observation when he noticed something poking through the girl's shirt. Frowning, he pulled the shirt open and found what the paramedics missed. "Shit …" he was about to call Jac over to have a look when a BP machine attached to the occupant of the bed in the next bay suddenly started blearing. "Jake, take her up to Darwin!" Jonny told the young porter as he and Chantelle headed for the next patient …

A few hours later found Jonny and Chantelle round the bed of yet another patient as he fell into cardiac arrest. Jonny had rolled the sleeves of his shirt up in order to free his arms and Chantelle's hair was becoming dishevelled. Cursing, Jonny yelled for the crash trolley while Chantelle started compressions. Yanking the life-saving machine out of the useless nurse's grip he took the paddles in his hands, "Charging to one hundred … clear!" he touched the bits of machine to the dying man's chest and watched as his body shook in response to the electricity forced through it. "Again," Jonny muttered when nothing happened. Chantelle started compressions again while Jonny charged the machine. "Again!" Chantelle looked up at him.

"Jonny … he's gone." Jonny ignored her, not willing to let this be the fourth person in a row who failed to respond to resuscitation. Chantelle disappeared and when she returned she wasn't alone.

"Jonny!" Jac called his name sharply and took the paddles from his hands replacing them on the trolley, before leading him away from the scene. She said nothing, but the look in her eyes told her she understood. It was the first time he'd seen her in a long while and their relentless number of continuing arrivals was taking its toll on her too; she'd shoved her hair up into her trademark messy knot and Jonny noticed that there seemed to a kind of reluctant acceptance in her eyes. As if she had resigned herself to the huge number of people they would not be able to save.

"I just …" he began, "I didn't want to lose another one."

"I know … listen; me and Sacha are about to go into theatre. I'm leaving you and Ollie in charge while I'm gone, okay?" Jac told him. Jonny nodded, "just keep doing what you've been doing Jonny. You've saved more people than me so far …" she kissed his cheek and Jonny watched her head towards theatre. Sighing, Jonny turned back to the ward as a fresh load of casualties arrived. Darting out from the nurses' station, Jonny yanked on his tie to loosen it before unbuttoning the top buttons of his shirt. "What have we got?" he asked Tom, who was helping Big Mac wheel the patient through the doors onto the ward.

"Luke, fourteen, and major lacerations to his right arm and lower abdomen," Big Mac answered.

"Let me hear his chest," they brought the bed to a stop and Jonny placed Jac's stethoscope to the boy's chest and listened intently for a moment. "Right … get him into bay three … Chantelle I need an echo machine." Jonny looked up at Tom. "I think he's got an irregular heartbeat and Darwin's full to bursting."

"Where's Jac?"

"In theatre … its fine, Ollie and I can treat it." Jonny said confidently.

"One echo machine, and Ollie went with his patient to Keller in case she crashed along the way." Chantelle told him. Jonny paused. "Go on! You've got the most CT experience out of all of us."

"Here goes nothing," Jonny murmured as he turned back to the boy, placing a hand in his pocket and feeling the box with the ring for Jac rest against his leg.


	6. Chapter 6

Jac sagged against the basin as their final patient was wheeled out of theatre and wearily washed her hands. Beside her Sacha let out a sigh of relief and gave her a smile. "We did it. Naylor and Levy Incorporated back in action and all that."

Jac laughed; "yeah, it sure was."

"Come on," Sacha threw an arm round her shoulder and they made their way back onto the ward they'd left in the hands of Jonny and Ollie since they'd had seven patients that needed urgent attention in theatre. They'd been wheeled in one after the other and it was only as they were finishing up on their fifth that Chantelle had popped her head round the door to say the crisis was over and that Hanssen wanted to speak with everyone when they'd finished.

The ward was about as quite as AAU ever got and it seemed Ollie, Jonny, and Chantelle had already departed for Hanssen's meeting. On the way Jac decided Sacha needed some good news springing on him to cheer him up; they'd lost nearly a third of the patients who'd arrived on their ward and Sacha's usually permanent bubbly personality seemed to have deflated during the past however many hours it had been. Not to mention the fact that they were both severely over tired.

They were the last to arrive, and by no means out of place in terms of looking dead-on-their-feet. Those who weren't already wearing them hadn't been given time to change into scrubs and so the likes of Jac, Jonny, Ric, Serena and a few others looked especially run-down with their tiered expressions, dishevelled hair and rumpled clothing. Joining the rest of their improtu AAU team, Jac and Sacha muttered their excuse for being late.

Hanssen simple waved it aside, and congratulated them on their efforts. Apparently AAU had been hit the hardest and the unnaturally high death rate had rung true throughout the hospital. At least no member of staff had died this time round, Jac thought as Jonny took her hand. He'd more than proved his place as a doctor during the crisis; making split second decisions that had saved many lives by transferring patients to relevant wards rather than trying to treat them on AAU. Jac was proud of his efforts.

"… Lost about a third of those admitted to the hospital. As a thank you for your efforts, the Board has arranged a little gathering on the roof with drinks, food and music in an attempt to lighten the mood and put the distressing events of this incident behind us. And I want to thank each of you personally, for your efforts today; I am aware that there is little that could lighten the mood and if any of you have anything that you think would give us all a smile then please feel free to share it with us … a joke or some bit of news or a proposition?"

Jac felt Jonny shift beside her, but otherwise he remained silent as the rest of them. She caught Elliot's eyes and his look plainly told her that Mo would tell them if she didn't because everyone needed the lift an announcement like that would give them, including her. Jac hesitated, pulled the crumpled scan from the single pocket hidden in the skirt of her dress and glanced at it before speaking. "Well, I'm pregnant."

All eyes were on Jac, but she only had eyes for the man who had gone ridged beside her. Letting her amusement show on her face, Jac handed Jonny the scan. He didn't seem able to speak and his hand shook as he took it. His gaze drifted up to her and his face split into a grin and he shook his head. "And … and that's what Elliot … um … meant by 'it's nothing sinister' I take it?" He directed his words at the Professor and the old heart surgeon beamed.

"I happened to walk in while Mo and Jac were discussing it." He admitted. It seemed that Jac's friends and colleagues needed the likes of Elliot to confirm that she was indeed telling the truth simply because it wasn't the type of announcement Jac would normally give.

A chorus of 'congratulations' erupted and Jac found herself being hugged by nearly everyone in the space around her; at least it had done the trick and lifted the mood of failure from them.

Hanssen blinked, then smiled before continuing; "well it seems we _do_ have something to be pleased about today other than our valiant efforts during this crisis. As I said before, the Board has organised a thank-you gathering on the roof for your efforts and I'm sure they'll all be bitterly disappointed if no one turned up." He thanked them all for their efforts again, formally congratulated Jac and Jonny on the pregnancy and walked off towards the lift.

Michael was insisting everyone present made their way to the Hospital Board's event so they could celebrate the news and it seemed that everyone agreed because they seemed to be moving as a whole up the stairs to the roof. Jonny slipped his arm round Jac's waist, the scan still in his other hand. It was strange, being the centre of attention because of something _good_ for once, and Jac found that she didn't mind. "Elliot and Mo convinced me to tell you at dinner," Jac murmured to Jonny as they trailed at the back of the group. "But then this happened and …" she shrugged. "Technically it's tomorrow and since I didn't tell you last night, Mo or Elliot could've easily blurted it out."

Jonny grinned and kissed her hair. "I don't care; I'm just glad that your endometriosis hasn't got worse. Which is what I thought was the matter." Jac smiled and rested her head against his shoulder. They stepped out onto the roof to find tables piled with food and alcohol and music blaring from speakers and Mr Cunningham waiting for them all. No one really listened to his thank-you speech and instead they set upon the food and drink as if they hadn't had such luxuries for days.

The late-afternoon sun was warm and spirits relatively high due to Jac's announcement. "Right then Jonny Mac; time for you to explain why we were sprung with the fact you're actually a fully qualified doctor yesterday evening." Mo, Tara and Ollie had decided to join Jac and Jonny with a supply of food and drink. They found a spot in the sun and dragged some cushions over to it and sat down, thankful for the rest after such a stressful night.

With their supply of food and drink spread out in front of them, they all waited for Jonny's explanation. Sighing, he gave in and explained. Jonny sat with his back against the railing, a cushion placed between his back and the metal pole. He'd removed his jacket when he'd been in the consultants' office and his sleeves had become rolled up since then and his tie had been loosened and his top two buttons undone. Jac leant against him with one of his arms wrapped round her waist. It was with relief that she pulled off her shoes and rubbed her aching feet. Mo had nabbed a chair and sat opposite Jonny with the sleeves of her scrubs rolled up. Tara sat cross legged, playing with her ID tag while Ollie laid on his back staring at the sky.

By the time Jonny had finished, Sam and Tom had joined them along with Sacha and Chrissie and fresh supplies of food. Jac paid little attention to the conversation, preferring to sit in Jonny's arms staring at the ultrasound. At the mention of her name she looked up. "So Jac, how come Mo knew?" Ollie, Tom, Sacha and Chrissie had all disappeared and Jac idly wondered where they'd gone but didn't dwell on it.

Jac shrugged. "We were treating a patient – she decided to start her period which set her mother into the irritating "my baby's all grown up" mode – and I realised I was late. The only reason she knew was because she asked me what was wrong just as I realised it."

"But you were worried it was just another symptom so I convinced her to go to see good old Mr T and he took some tests and told you that you are preggers, right?" Jac nodded. "And that was when Elliot walked in and found out." Mo finished.

Jonny shifted. "You could've told me."

Jac just shrugged. "You would of starting panicking and made everything ten times more stressful for me," she told him softly. "And I didn't need that on top of everything else."

"But what if it had been bad news?" Jonny began.

"But it isn't." Jac cut him off. He looked down at her then smiled, Jac guessed she'd have to answer to him when they got home.


	7. Chapter 7

Jac, Jonny, and Mo were in the locker room on Darwin collecting their things before heading back to the house for some hard earned sleep when Elliot poked his head through the door. "Jonny? Mr Hanssen wants to speak with you. Apparently the Board want a word."

Jonny groaned, slamming his locker door shut. "Okay … I'll see you back home." He kissed Jac and patted Mo on the shoulder before grabbing his satchel and heading out of room.

"I feel like I could sleep for years." Mo muttered, pulling on her cardigan.

Jac nodded, "I need to eat first."

"Did you just say that?"

"Oh har har," Jac laughed sarcastically.

"Well come on if you want a lift; I'm not waiting for Jonny." Mo told her, leaving the room. Sighing, Jac followed her out of the ward and out of the hospital and into the car park.

"So, how was Darwin without Jonny and me?" Jac asked, climbing into the car.

"You're ex is rather OCD." Mo told her lightly, turning on the engine,

"Tel me about it," Jac muttered.

"What did he want when he pulled you over before you and Jonny left?"

"To tell me he still loves me."

"Seriously?" Jac nodded, "you're not gonna run back to him, are you?"

"I'm having Jonny's baby. Of course I'm not going to run back to Joseph … seeing him again made me realise that I stopped loving him a long time ago."

Mo drove out of the hospital, "So why did you fuck it up between you and Jonny and sleep with Sean then?"

"It is a question I often ask myself." Jac told her, staring out of the window and sighing. "I thought he was the one, you know? Thought Joseph was the person I could spend the rest of my life with. But while we were great for each other, we also ripped each other to shreds. I knew him better than most and he knew me better than anyone and we just ..." Jac shook her head. "I don't know what happened because until I saw him yesterday I thought part of me still loved him, but …"

"You met Jonny?" Mo asked helpfully.

"Yeah, I guess. I met Jonny."

"Glad you called T-Lo – what was it she told me? – oh yes: a foetus in scrubs?"

Jac didn't say anything and the two women spent the rest of the journey back to the house in silence. It was only when they had pulled up on the drive way that Jac spoke. "I didn't plan it you know."

"Didn't plan it what?"

"To fall in love with him," Jac got out of the car, dug her keys out of her bag and unlocked the front door. "It just … happened."

"Well, that's the way it works Jac. You wake up one day and realise that you completely and utterly love someone." Mo pointed out, heading straight for the kitchen.

For some reason Jac wasn't ready to end the conversation. "But the thing is, when I realised that I did love him, I … I didn't care." She followed Mo into the kitchen. "But I also wonder how it happened so quickly without me noticing. Like I woke up one morning and realised he'd stolen my heart, piece by piece, starting back when we first met."

"That's Jonny for you; but if truth be told, you did the same to him." Mo told her, dragging her head out of the fridge, "Any idea what we have in the freezer?"

"Nothing … Jonny was going to go shopping today since he had it off but Hanssen had other ideas."

"Looks like it's a takeaway then," Mo said as Jac filled the kettle and switched it on.

"Argue it over with Jonny when he gets in; I'm not hungry."

"But you said you were before we left!"

"Not for crappy takeaway shit; just thinking about the grease makes me feel sick."

"Charming, Jac; I really wanted the image of you vomiting in my head." Jac said nothing as the kettle boiled and she busied herself by making two cups of tea. "Cheers."

Jac and Mo had been home for over two hours before Jonny bundled through the door with a Chinese takeaway. He dumped the bag on the table in the kitchen where Jac and Mo had sat talking about the incident they'd had to deal with, before grabbing plates and cutlery. Mo searched through the bag and placed the food on the table and laughed as Jac pulled a face at the smell of the food. Jonny sat down at the end of the table, also laughing at Jac's upturned nose. "I did my best you know; the Board don't half go on."

Jac rolled her eyes. "Don't get me started, so what did they want?"

Jonny shrugged, "I didn't pay attention and Hanssen told me think whatever they said over and go and see him tomorrow with my answer."

"How are you going to do that if you don't know what they said?" Mo asked.

"It was something about something …" Jonny shrugged. "I'll work it out, don't worry; something about the suspension thing." Jac shook her head and stayed silent while she listened to Jonny and Mo bounce comments and friendly insults off each other just as she and Sacha did. Jac didn't notice Mo and Jonny murmuring to each other and she didn't notice Mo get up and leave the kitchen shortly after giving Jonny a pointed glare.

After a moment, Jonny started to clear away the plates and cutlery and leftover food. He was wiping down the surfaces when Jac realised they were alone and that the only lights were the ones above the cooker. "Mo gone to bed?" Jonny nodded.

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Jac admitted, getting up from the table and joining Jonny by the sink. He wrapped his arms round her and rested his head against hers.

"Best get used to it," Jonny murmured. "Doubt we'll be getting much sleep once the baby comes." Jac smiled, and kissed him. "I, erm … had things gone according to plan … we'd be in a different position …"

Jac frowned, "what do you mean?"

Jonny hesitated. "Dinner; I was, um … I was going to propose to you at dinner. But, of course … the incident meant that we were needed back at Holby and –"

"You were going to propose?" Jac interrupted in a whisper, stopping his babbling.

"Yeah … that was why I made such a fuss about dinner and everything. I checked with everyone at work you know; just to see if they thought it was too soon and if they thought you'd say yes … and if the ring was the right one."

"Why are you telling me this? You know I don't care when, or how ... just that someday you will." Jac pointed out.

"In that case, why wait any longer?" Jac blinked as Jonny pushed her to the middle of the kitchen before putting his hand in his pocket and pulling out a small black box.

"I … Jonny … don't …" she added as he, a grin plastered on his face, got down on one knee.

"Jacqueline Naylor …" he looked up at her, his grin replaced with a look that she hadn't seen on his face before. "Will you marry me?"

He opened the box to show her a priceless diamond ring sparkling in the light of the dimly lit kitchen. Jac's heart leapt in her throat as she realised that the moment she never thought would arrive was here; someone was willing to stand by her no matter what and love her unconditionally. She found she couldn't speak, the words were stuck in her throat but Jonny's look told her he understood and Jac knew he'd stay kneeling on the hard kitchen floor until she found the words to express her heart. For some reason, tears of joy were forming in her eyes.

"In sickness and in health?" she whispered and Jonny smiled.

"Till death do us part," he answered, then frowned and cocked his head, "was that a yes?" he asked suspiciously and Jac couldn't help laugh.

"Do you really doubt my answer?"

"No, but I want to hear you say it; otherwise, you don't get the ring." Jac laughed again and Jonny spoke again, "Marry me, Jac. Marry me."

She looked into his eyes, and smiled, "you know I will." Jonny grinned, removing the ring from the box and slipped it onto the third finger of Jac's left hand.

It was a perfect fit.

"Now I do," he told her as he got to his feet, placing the now empty ring box on the table and taking Jac back into his arms. "Now I know you'll marry me."

"Baby first," Jonny paused, about to kiss her, and raised an eyebrow. "I just don't think I can cope with both a wedding and having a baby at the same time. I just … I don't want anything to go wrong."

Jonny held her closely. "Nothing will. I promise. Nothing will go wrong; we'll do it your way Jac. So long as I know I shall meet you in a white at an alter dress one day."

Jac smiled. "Don't even think about wearing a kilt." She told him dangerously.

Jonny laughed as he led her up to bed.


End file.
